Exhaust box



Nov. l0 l9`25- A. l.- ADDISON 3 Sheets-Sheet l M M v 5 7 m NM u 7 man M,//v www ,AY

ATTORNEYS Nov. l0, 1925. 1,560,520

A. l. ADDISON EXHAUS T BOX Filed Nov, 9. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Afl.ADDISON EXHAUST BOX Filed Nov, 9, 1922 Novi 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedNov. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMOS IVAN ADDISON, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CURTISCOR- PORATION, 0F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

EXHAUST BOX.

Application led November 9, 1922. Serial No. 599,775.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, AMos IVAN ADDISON, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles, State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in an Exhaust Box,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for use in canning comestibles. Inoperations of this character, it is the practice to place the comestiblein containers, next heat the containers and their contents, and thenimmediately to hermetically seal the container. Heating causes thegeneration of steam or vapors, and these condense upon cooling of thecontainers producing a partial vacuum therein. This is known asexhausting, and chambers for heating filled containers in this mannerare known as exhaust boxes. It is advantageous to provide acontinuousfeeding and discharging exhaust box, that is, an exhaust box wherein thecold filled containers enter the exhaust box, travel therethrough andemerge heated and ready for sealing. In order to heat the containers toa suihciently high temperature, the path of travel of the containerswhile in the box must be relatively long. The objects of this inventionare first, to provide an exhaust box having an endless conveyer totransport containers therethrough; second, to provide an exhaust boxwhich is compact; third, to provide an exhaust box whose heat losses arerelatively small;v and fourth, to provide certain details of structurewhereby a strong, durable, economical, and easily manipulated exhaustbox is obtained.

These objects together with other objects and correspondingaccomplishments are obtained by means of the embodiment of my inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking upon the top of the structure fromthe front or charging and discharging end, the length of the heatingchambers being shown relatively short, in order, to better illustratethe inventive idea; Fig. 2 is a section as seen upon the line 2-2 ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section as seen on the line 33 of Fig. 1;Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one unit of the exhaust box,parts being broken out to show the interior structure; Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a portion of the conveyer; and Fig. 6 is a sleeperfor supporting the conveyer track and guards.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the complete device isilllustrated. It consists of two chambers 7, each chamber forming atunnel like unit. Disposed to travel continuously through the chambersin series is an endless conveyer indicated generally in Fig. 1 by thereference numeral 8. A charging chute for feeding containers to theconveyer is indicated by 9, and a discharging chute is indicated by 10.

The heating units are similar and one will be described. Referring moreparticularly to Fig. 4, a chamber consists of a tube 11 surrounded by ajacket 12. Mounted upon the. end of the jacket 12 are ianges 14, towhich are bolted rings 15. Each ring 15 is formed with a recess toreceive packing 16 held in position by a flange 17, thereby forming asteam tight chamber around the tubular member 11. A plate 18 with anopening therein for the passage of the conveyer and containers ismounted across the front end of each unit. Formed in each jacket 12 is anipple 19 to receive a steam pipe connected to a pipe 21 which supplieslive steam under pressure. Suitable valves are installed to control theflow of steam. A nipple 22 is formed on the jacket 12 and is connectedto a pipe 23 communicating with an exhaust pipe 24 for the discharge ofthe steam. It is obvious that steam supplied through the pipe 21 passesthrough the jackets 12 to the discharge pipe 24, where it is disposedofin any manner desired. This provides the chambers 11 with heat.

Spaced at suitable intervalsalong each chamber 11 are sleepers 25, eachsleeper having a segmental rib to conform to the curvature of the pipe,supporting faces 27 for rails and an opening 28 for the passage of theconveyer 10. Extending through each heating chamber are rails 29 ofangle form for slidably supporting the conveyer plates. Secured to thefaces of the sleepers are angle bars 30, to which are secured standards31. Mounted on the standards are guard rails 32.

Extending through openings in the sleepers in-each unit isa humidifyingpipe 38. The pipe is provided with a number of perforations throughwhich steam may pass, The humidifying pipes 33 are con- ;substantially,all of the `tilne through the nected tothe steam line 2l by means offittings indicated generally by 3e and suitable valves control the flowof steam. Live steam may be discharged through the hun'iidifying' pipedirectly into the heating chambers.

Plates 35 tie the heating` chambers tojgether and serve as supports forbrackets 36 to Which are secured bearings for the shafts of the conveyerWheels 38. The conveyer wheels are sprocket Wheels. kOne of the SprocketWheels is a drive Wheel7 the driving being accomplished through theshaft by means not shown in the drawing. Bassins` over the Wheels 88 isachain 39. best shown in Fig., 5. Secured to the links of the. chain areplates ll0 which slide upon the rails 29. The chain and plates forni anendless conveyer, upon Which containers may be placed so that they Willbe carried first through one heating chamber' and then through theother. The containers which are usually cans are' delivered through thechute 9 to the conveyer which carries through the heating chamber andyfinally delivers them to the discharge chute l0.

The open cans are passed into therst heating chamber cold. They travelthrough the chamber absorbing heat ivhichis supplied by the steam in thejacket. The hot steam issuing from the hinnidifving pipe suppliessuflicient moisture so thaY the contents Vdo not become dry and alsosupplies heat. The cans pass through the first heating chamber slowlyand vthen through the second heating chamber. ln this manner they areWithin the heating chambers fory a relativelyT long time. lt is obviousthat if the eflhaust box Were made in one lone` chainber, the floorspace required would be or". awkward dimensions requiring va large spacebetween the Workers at the charge and discharge ends. Furthermore, thetime that the chain or convever would `travel 'on the outfside of theheatin?T chamber would be considerable and the amount of heat lost bythe chain becoming cooled during its travel out side would becomerelatively great. lith my -improved rdevice the chain is travelingllength of conveyer is substantially reduced.

/YJhat I claim is:

l. An exhaust bof( comprising the conibination of a pair of separatetunnel like heating chambers disposed parallel and adj acent to oneanother, an endless flexible con-- veyer rove through said chan'ibers toforni "a closed loo) so as to travel therethrouch in series, and drivingmeans geared outside oi said chambers to said conveyer and disposedadjacent thereto.

2. An exhaust boi; comprising the` combination rotra pair of. separatetunnel like jackcted heatingl chambers disjiiosed pa allel and adjacenttoene another7 said jackets haring means to introduce heating fluidthereinto7 an endless flexible conveyer rove through said chambers toform a closed loop so as to travel therethrough in series, and drivingmeans geared .ntside oit' said chambers to said convey-er and disposedat the adjacent ends thereof.

3. An exhaust box comprising the conibination of `a pair of separatetunnel like jacleeted heating chambers disposed parallel and adjacent toone another, the jaclets of said lchambers having means to introducelieatir fluid thereinto., anendless flexible ce-nveyer rove through saidvchanil:ers to forni closed loop so .as totravel therethrough in series,driving means geared outside of said chambers to said conveyer anddisposed at the adjacent ends thereof.. means to feed articles to saidconveyer, and means to discharge said articles therefrom.

4. rin exhaust bon coniprising` the combi4 nation of a pair ot separatetiuinel like heating chambers disposed parallel and adjacent to oneanother, an endless flexible conveyer rove through said chaniibers toform a closed loop so as to travel therethrough in series, haif'ingmeans geared outside of said chambers to said courever and disposed atthe adjacent ends thci 'i means to feed the articles to said coni ryer.and means te discharge said articles therefrom. ,f

In Witness that I claim the foregoing l. have hereunto subscribed mynaine 'this Slet day of October, 1922.

AMos ivan annrson.

